


Maverick Hunter Vava

by Kosei



Series: Maverick hunter Vava [1]
Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Crushes, Hunter Vile, M/M, Maverick X, Maverick Zero - Freeform, Role Reversal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23055718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kosei/pseuds/Kosei
Summary: A world where Vava is a kind compassionate hunter, and where X is a S-class hunter. He looked up to him. His senpai, the only one kind to him. But all of that changed.And he has to be the one to take him down.
Relationships: VAVA | Vile/X, X/Zero (Rockman)
Series: Maverick hunter Vava [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656931
Comments: 36
Kudos: 50





	1. The day of X

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StarryOfThy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryOfThy/gifts).



"Damn idiot!"  
A violet reploid squeaked fearfully as he was slammed into the wall of the hunter base. The superior A-Class hunter towered above him, sneering with disgust at him, a mere B-Class.

"You've cost this unit so much reliability! Do you have any idea how much property damage your horrible aim has cost the Maverick Hunters?! It's a miracle you're not arrested! Sigma just goes easy on you because you're a suck-up, but you can't even hit a giant fucking mechaniloid!" The A-class ranted, and the violet reploid just pressed himself against the wall.

He was right... Even with such a powerful weapon on his shoulder, one that could knock anyone unconscious with a regular shot, he still hesitated when he needed to be bold. He had only managed to shoot the maverick today once, and that was with significant pressure from his commander. It wasn't that his aim was... bad. He just... felt sick when aiming directly.  
Speaking of his weapon, it was digging uncomfortably into his shoulder as he was pushed into the wall.

"You there! What in the world do you think you're doing?!"  
A blue hunter approached and grabbed the bully by the shoulder.   
"Bullying your fellow comrades- you should be ashamed of yourself! Do you not have any pride in what it means to be a maverick hunter?! Get off of him!" He dragged the bland maverick hunter away from the purple reploid. 

"H-huh? C-Commander X!? I-I'm s-sorry, I was-" The reploid stuttered out, suddenly changing drastically in terms of mannerism.

The purple reploid was shocked, to say the least. The commander of the 17th unit, coming to help him?

"What rank are you? A? I'll be sure to put you back down to a B, although you deserve worse. Now get out of my sight, before I make sure you are punished properly. Got it?" the commander snapped. 

"B-but sir..." The reploid sighed, defeated, shamefully turning away. "Yes, sir..." as the hunter walked away he grumbled silently to himself.

X stared at the back of the hunter until he was gone and turned back, offering a hand to the reploid on the ground, "Are you alright? I can't believe that A rank did that to you... I swear I really should be harder on him, what he did was inexcusable. We should be working together, not fighting one another."

"A-ah, I-I'm alright, s-sir, really..." He stutters, taking X's hand to stand. "H-he was lecturing me mostly... Because I messed up."

"Lecturing is supposed to help you. Scaring you into submission is not going to help, what he did was bullying, and he has no right to lecture you, even if he is an A-class."

Vava looked down, a bit embarrassed. "O-Oh... I see... Sorry, sir, I couldn't tell the difference..."

He smiled, “You remind me of myself when I first joined the hunters... I was told then 'there are times when we maverick hunters cannot hesitate on pulling the trigger. ' I think the same applies to you. Vava, right?”

"A-ah I wasn’t expecting you to know my name…” The reploid felt embarrassed and the blue hunter laughed, “Of course I know your name! As a commander, it’s my duty to remember the faces of all the maverick hunters, not just the ones in my unit.”

Vava felt warm butterflies in his chest and cleared his throat, “Erm... Pull the trigger you say...? I-I try, but I just get this sick feeling whenever I'm fighting... I don't want to hurt anyone or anything."

"That's how I feel.” X said in earnest, “That feeling never goes away... but we fight for a day when we no longer have to fight. "

"I know…” his shoulders slumped. “I just need to help my fellow hunters. Maybe I should replace my weapon..." he held his cannon under his hand out of habit.

"Your weapon isn't the problem. You need to have more confidence in yourself. You can do this, think about why you volunteered to become a maverick hunter."

Vava paused for a moment, “I joined so I could help people. That's what I have wanted to do ever since I was activated."

"Then, to fulfill your dream you cannot hesitate. I have faith in you, Vava."

His eyes widened, looking up at his commander. "... T-Thank you, Sir... I won't fail you!"

"My strength lies in the people who believe in me. You... May very well surpass me one day. As long as you believe in justice."

"I-I doubt I could surpass you... But I will fight for justice, and fight for what's right!"

"I hope you continue to believe that. We should head back. " He patted the violet reploid’s back. 

"Ah, right." He sighs, turning towards the rest of the hunters.

"Good luck!" X waved, a hand on his hip, a pleasant smile on his face. 

"Thank you again, Sir!" Vava says, smiling and waving to X as he walks away.

Hunterbase wasn’t very kind to B-class hunters. Privileges were ranked upon one’s rapport, availability, skills, attitude, and of course, rank. Vava was known for being very strong, his weapon formidable, but most found his attitude tiring and melancholic, and they would much rather work with someone more “positive.”

That meant a few things: that Vava wasn’t requested for battle often, and when he was, he wasn’t very good at “pulling the trigger”, as X had said. Although that day with the giant mechanoid was the first time they interacted, it wasn’t the last, much to Vava’s surprise. He was friendly, of course, in the halls and when they spotted each other in the same training room, Vava was fascinated with how… he understood. He was the only one to sympathize with how he thought, about the people he hurt. He cared so deeply, and he was the only one, he even dared to utter the words that he “felt bad for mavericks.” 

People those days were touchy with that label, and often any and every excuse to label someone under it was better than the risk of being wrong. But X nodded sagely, and he said, 

“I know what you mean.”

Vava wondered if the cause was X’s former friend Zero. While Vava was known for being weak and useless around the base, X was even more noticeable, and there was no surprise behind that. The humans loved X, their savior, he was kind and compassionate and Vava thought it was likely that he made them feel like he understood, just like how he feels when he’s near the blue hunter. X, father of all reploids. Their creator, their savior. The one to bridge the gap between the two races, man and machine. He was speaking to him, he was right there. He was talking, X was responding with a smile. Vava felt he was miles and miles away. Sometimes, he wanted to reach out and touch him, brush against his armor and face just so he could know he was there. Sometimes X felt less to him, a reploid, as he was just a symbol of something greater, more profound. 

He was there to see Zero around the base a couple of times before he went maverick. Zero was as graceful as he was powerful. X was like… An angel. A being of purity and compassion, and Zero was like the devil, someone who flew high with the golden silk of his hair trailing behind him, he and X were on equal levels of beauty. But much like how the morning star fell after riding too high, Zero was scorned and cast aside a year after being found by X, after destroying an entire unit. He had heard that somehow X had managed to convince the deranged reploid into calming down and walking back to base with him. 

Although perhaps it wasn’t a shock to even him that he did go maverick again.  
Zero served as a reminder to him that anyone could go maverick, even an S-class hunter. 

X watched in silent melancholy as the maverick was dragged through the main hall. Vava approached silently as he looked remorseful, his eyes soft. As he was being dragged by in handcuffs the red maverick looked behind him, his hair flowing gracefully as he sent a smirk at them, and a shiver went down Vava’s spine.

"...Vava, do you know who that is over there?"

“...Yes. He’s former S-rank hunter Zero, right…?”

"Used to be is correct. Now he's a maverick. This is what we are fighting against. Even our own comrades can become mavericks... so we must always stay alert. "

"I-I used to think… That hunters couldn’t go maverick…”

Quickly turning back to Vava he speaks again. "Anyone can become a maverick. Programming errors… What gives us reploids life could be our demise…”

"I see... I guess we have to be prepared for anything." Vava says, watching as Zero was escorted away.

"But always keep an optimistic outlook. "

"Right. That's important too." He smiles under his helmet. “But… do you ever wonder about- if you might go maverick yourself? I… Sometimes I wonder about that. I mean, Zero, I was, I had just joined when he first turned maverick, but that was before I got to know you…”

X shifted, taking a step, ¾ of his face now directed to him. “I sometimes do… And I’m glad you didn’t know me then. When I heard he had gone maverick… I couldn’t believe it. But in the end, it strengthened my resolve, and it made me more determined, more than ever, to continue going on. To continue to do what’s right, so no one will have to suffer as Zero did. Perhaps if I had known the signs, if I had noticed something was wrong in time… I could have prevented this. I feel so stupid, that I didn’t.”

“A-ah!” Vava stuttered, “You really shouldn’t blame yourself… It isn’t your fault this happened, commander.”

“No… but it certainly feels like it. But as much as I hate it, I hate to think about it, I… He’s a maverick. And my friend is gone…”

Vava was silent, not sure what to do, what to say, if there was anything to say at all. He knew X had worries, but that tight expression, that sorrowfulness in his eyes, the distance; it had either grown larger than before, or it had shortened. He didn’t even dream about closing it completely, but he desired, to at least, one day, be able to call him a friend, and that X wouldn’t have to fret or worry about him. He would be able to stand on his own, his cannon held high, in the face of any maverick. X placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Get to work on your training." He patted his shoulder. "And remember, I believe in you." 

He blushed slightly. "A-ah... Okay, I will. And thank you."

"I need to go, I have important business to attend to. Take care! " he left in the direction Zero left in.

"Okay, sir!" He felt his mood take an uptick and he suddenly felt cheerful as he headed to the training room, his insides a little gooey like they had melted into caramel. X truly had faith in him, he could depend on that, more than he could on anything.

He had no idea what was going on, he heard reports, maverick attacks all through the city and surrounding areas, reports of their own going maverick- Alarms flared and buzzed, reploids in full armor thrashed through the halls, nearly knocking him off of his feet. 

“GO! GO! GO!” someone yelled as they ran through the halls.

“Maverick attacks in the 5th area!”

“What?! Impossible, there’s already one there!”

“All units report to commander Sigma!”

Vava’s head spun with the information and instructions and lights flashing and buzzing- he came back to reality when someone clutched his shoulders and shook him. 

"Vava! VAVA! Oh, I'm so glad you're here, I don't know what to do-"

"H-huh? Commander X? What is it? What's wrong?" Vava asked, suddenly alert.

"My unit... I don't know what to do, they went on patrol and now they aren't responding and the navigators can't find them!"

"What? They might be in danger!" He gasped, eyes wide with worry. “All these maverick attacks- they- they could be-”

"Vava,” X’s eyes hardened, “I know this a lot to ask you, but could you please check this out? I need your determination, your will to do what's right..."

"M-me? Sir, I'm honored you trust me with this b-but..."

"You're the only one I can trust with this. Everyone else is busy. I need you to come with me. Please Vava..." His eyes were so human-like, and just as soon as they hardened they became soft with worry and wet tears. Vava suddenly felt a pang in his chest, and… X needed him. X was depending on him. This was what he wanted, to not only stand alone but to be dependable. To be wanted…

"... Okay, Sir. I'm ready to go when you are." He said, determined and renewed.

"Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver..."

"Of course, Sir. You're an inspiration to me,” Vava confessed, “ I have to help you."

"I'm so grateful that you think of me like that... I'm sending you the coordinates for us to warp to now. Have you received them?" 

"Mmhm. I'm ready when you are."

"Remember…” he smiled, “I believe in you." He vanished in a flash of blue light.

"Thank you, Commander X." He said, smiling himself as he teleported away with a violet light.

They teleported to a building, its’ purpose unclear from the outside, it's quiet and desolate. To Vava, he guessed it was a power plant: they always had a similar looking design, the air always crept with pollutants (that his sensors pinged at him). His systems also unhelpfully commentated the word “smaragdine” to describe X’s eyes at him. He wasn’t sure about their efficiency right now. 

"They disappeared here... I believe this is where... they were tracking down a maverick..."

"A single maverick? If that took them all out..."

"I know…” X lips turned to a fine line, “He- or whoever it is must be strong... I'll cover you, so we should find out.”

"Alright..." He put a hand on his shoulder cannon, and walked straight into the building.

He headed inside; it was dark and quiet, and the stench of oil was in the air. X ducked and rolled as he dived in, looking in front of the wooden boxed crates and over his shoulder. His grace and focus almost made Vava wheeze- but the smell of oil was growing, no sounds but the echoing of their feet, and the clanging of metal against metal quickly broke the beautiful image from his mind. And so he remained quiet and vigilant, keen on hearing any unfamiliar noise. Through the unease, he tries the best he can anyway. Although that crumbles away when X suddenly gasps and falls to his knees.

"No! No.... it can't be..." Reploids were strewn across the ground, mouths open and oil cascading into puddles across the floor.  
Vava’s breath catches, and he feels his eyes burn and the urge to gag. It wasn't really like seeing a dead human, but they were robots. Seeing the internal workings of a Reploid was like the guts of a human, at least to him, although he’s seen other robots be much less squeamish than him… "Oh my god..."  
"...Vava... tell me, what caused this? Who killed these reploids?"

"... B-by the looks of things... The attacker must have been skilled... Each blow landed on a weak spot..." He stutters, leaning down to investigate the closest body.

"Vava, you believe in justice, right?"

"H-Huh? Y-yes, Sir. I do… Of course, I do!” he proclaims with more confidence at the end. 

"Do you know what the purpose of this room is? Of this facility?"

"...My guess was some sort of power plant…” His gaze moves around, now looking at the control panels, behind which are large glowing tubes, neon blue and gooey green. 

"This room supplies most if not all of the energy in Abel. It’s strange it’s so unguarded, isn’t it? It makes you wonder… What would happen if this place was destroyed?"

"IF-if it was destroyed- All reploids would run out of energy!”

"That would be bad. If they have no energy, they couldn't possibly function, right?"

"They couldn't..." He looks down at the body again. A blaster wound…  
Something clicks in his logic processor.

Strange questions-> X-> Blaster marks-> Skilled attacker-> X=skilled-> X=Attacker-> X=Maverick. 

He nearly gasped but his body jolted back and he took a step, a foot stuck in some oil and he nearly slipped. Keeping calm, he turns to X suddenly, hand on his shoulder cannon. 

"Hmm? Are you alright Vava? Is something wrong?"

"... W-why are you asking me all this? It's awfully specific to ask about if it was destroyed..."

"...oh my..." He lifts a small box and switch. "The maverick left behind a bomb.." He shows the timer to Vava. "They didn't activate it though... how strange."

"G-gh!? W-what- What is that?!"

"I just said it's a bomb. It appears that if I press this button, there would be 60 seconds for anyone to flee, and then this place would be destroyed."

"What?! But you'd kill all the reploids!" His tone is panicked, but he doesn't fire. Damn it, shoot!!  
But…  
X…

"...Vava...." He spreads his arms, grinning as his eyes flicker red. "Join me."

"... J-join you? What… What are you talking about?" He couldn’t...

"The source of all mavericks is us reploids... we share- No, that’s wrong.” he corrected himself, smiling demurely, “As maverick hunter X, no, as the father of all the reploids, it’s my fault this happened. I’m the one who holds the blame. Me alone. It’s my right, my duty, to rid this world of my children’s mistakes. Don't you agree? This way no one will ever be hurt again. Wouldn't that make you happy, Vava? You won't ever have to shoot anyone. You were so much like me before I was enlightened. You’re different from the rest of my spawn, you are… Not just a creation from my breath. You are a reflection of something greater, something more.” 

He's speechless. His logic processor sees his point clearly. No more fighting, no more shooting... That sick feeling won't ever come again. He would never have to use his weapons on anyone ever again. If he joined X, he could have the courage to finally stand with him. He would be worthy of standing with him.

But…

"What do you say? We can build ourselves a utopia, for everyone..."

Vava hesitates, and clenches the shoulder gun in his hand, wavering with a shaky but firm-   
"No."

"...Why? Do you want to go into war after war after war over and over again? Why do you want to subject yourself to that?"

"You say everyone, but that's a lie. Not everyone will get to see your utopia. Reploids are people, not just robots!" He snaps, tightening his grip on his shoulder cannon. "If you kill Reploids, you kill an entire race of PEOPLE!"

"...I see... It's such a shame... I really did believe in you. You'll realize I'm right eventually..." he places a finger to his audio receptor. "Zero, show them your strength. "

"Huh? What- Zero?! He’s working with you too?!”

“Of course he is… My beloved.”

Vava feels his core sink, and his emotional processor screams with a new kind of anguish. Beloved?!

"Let's see if you can survive this, Vava.” his eyes closed, and for a moment he looked like the same X, and Vava can feel sobs rising from his chest. “Don’t fail me now, my precious…”

He pushes the button with a small click. 

"H-Huh?" he turns back to the room, eyes wide. "W-what have you-"

"Until we meet again, Vava."  
He vanishes.

"Wait!" He calls, then stops himself. "N-No... X… I-I don’t have enough time- I have to get out of here!”

The X he knew, the kind angel, the one that he strived to be on the same level as, was now gone forever. As he ran, his core thrumming, his emotional processor sending tears that dripped onto the visor of his helmet, where he could peer out at the world. His vision had warped and changed, everything was smeary and the carefully constructed architecture of the building exploded into a fiery burst of flames that incinerated everything into ashes. X’s angel wings melted away. He was no more an angel than Zero. But if Zero was the Morning star-

He fell to his knees, banging his hand against the pavement, suddenly summoned as hunter base screamed at him through the audio receivers, the cries of humans and reploids around him- he could have done something, if only he wasn’t as cowardly, if he could just have pulled the trigger…

Zero was a fallen angel, but X was a snake.   
___

Footsteps slowly approach the metal door, and the slit opens, revealing the face of the one who approached, and lets light flood into the room. "Zero.... can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I can hear ya." He responds, staring at the floor, sitting on the bench in the cell.

"Good... I'm disappointed in you, getting found so quickly..."  
"What, you can't expect a maverick like me to be tame~" He teases, looking up slightly with a grin.

"You do look magnificent with those handcuffs though, darling~"

"Why thank you. Don’t they complement my criminal good looks?"

"Absolutely. And those eyes suit you much better than that blue before..." for a brief moment his own green eyes glint red. "You're so gorgeous... I wish I could hold you..."

"Too bad there's a door in the way..." He sighs, straining against the handcuffs for a moment. "I could just slice that Sigma open- and pull his circuits out for separating us!"

"I feel the same way, darling... But listen, you know Vava?"

"Hm? That little B-Class that I hear can't aim? Of course. He's pretty destructive, from the rumors."

"I believe he's rather useful for what we're trying to accomplish. He's... Well, the poor thing still believes in justice, just like how I did."

"Tch... Of course. Must we enlighten all of the useful ones?"

"He will be our pawn for us to transcend to the next level."

"I see... So what are you asking me to do, exactly?"

His eyes flashed ruby-rose red as he grinned, putting a finger to his lips. "Just sit here and look gorgeous, my darling, and I'll take care of the rest. Just be sure not to spill a drop of what we are planning."

"I won't say a word." He chuckles, eyes narrow with glee.

"I'll get you out of here later. But... I'm afraid I have a horrible feeling there's going to be an accident soon..." he chuckled.

Zero's grin widens. "'Accident', huh? Sounds terrifying..."

"Oh, so many hunters will be sacrificed, it's horrible."

"Poor, poor souls. They'll be shocked, won't they?"

"You'll see for yourself in a little while. But excuse me-" his eyes turn green. "I'm afraid I have work to do."

"Hmph. Damn. I wish I could bust out now..."

"All in good time." he winks. "I'll be sure to give you a much better punishment~"

"Oh, I look forward to it~ Much better than being stuck in here..."

X blew a kiss and walked off, making a show of talking to the guard "He's completely insane... damn mavericks.."

"Hmph. I can't believe someone as strong as Zero went Maverick." The guard replies, shaking his head.

"It's a shame. He was a good friend of mine... But I suppose that doesn't matter now, does it?"  
"Unfortunately, it doesn't..."

"Stay safe now, alright?"

"Of course, sir."

_____

"Zero!"

"X! There you are!" Zero says, lowering his buster from the head of a cowering hunter. He grins, opening his arms, stained with black oil across his chest and blond locks. The hall is littered with parts, remnants of reploids that got in his way. Oil drips from their opened mouths and glazed over white eyes, screeching in silent terror. The reploid backs into a wall, shaking all over as he watches as the maverick flips quickly from being angry, a terrifying war machine, to sweet and caring.

"Zero~!" he dives into his arms. "Ah, I'm so sad, the little hunter didn't want to join us..."

"Oh, how sad... And stupid. Who wouldn't want to join you? You're perfect and beautiful~" 

X giggled, “Oh, were you in the middle of something?” the reploid flinches, pressing deeper into the wall, “My bad!”

“It’s fine, it won’t take long. “

“May I take care of him?”

“Of course, my blueberry~” he places him back onto his feet, bowing deeply. 

“Oh my Zero, you are so sweet~" he giggles, raising his arm, it transforms into his buster at the reploid who was cowering under Zero. “I’m sorry little one, but I can't let you get away." 

The reploid screams, covering his face. "P-Please! Don't hurt me!"

"Hm... You're just as sweet, X~" Zero says teasingly. X drapes his arm over his neck, keeping his gaze on the reploid.

"I'm sorry, but I can't leave any of you alive~ But I'll let you have some last words~"

"H-Huh...? W-what does that mean...?" The reploid lowers his arms, confused.

“Well, you are about to die, so I’ll let you say one final thing before I lay you to rest. I’m sorry it had to be this way, my child. But as long as reploids threaten the existence of humans, it’s far too dangerous to let any of my children live.”

“...But… I-I didn’t do anything wrong!” the reploid wept, “Please, I didn’t do anything, please don’t kill me, please don’t kill me!”

“Are those your final words?”

The reploid choked, shook with tears, and like he was resigning to his fate, said,  
“Human lives… Don’t matter more than reploids. Like how there are good and bad people, there are good and bad reploids.” he wept, bracing himself for the impact.

X’s expression goes cold and the smile is wiped from his face. Without another word, the reploids head is severed from his body, and now he is just another bundle of spare and broken parts. 

Zero chuckles darkly, wrapping his arms around X's waist. "Ah, they're so stupid…”

X hesitates and returns to his perky form. "No, just misled. But only I have the right to execute them, and you have now been bestowed that right… Did you hear that massive explosion? Even if it wasn’t all the energy here, it’s going to massively slow them down.” he sniffed.

"Oh, X, Don't cry..." He tilts his love's head up to look at him. His red eyes soften. "You know I can't stand it when you cry..."

“I-I don’t know why I’m crying,” he says through tears, quickly wiping them away.

“It’s because you’re happy, happy that we are going to succeed. Nothing will be able to stop us, as long as we are together.”

“Y-yes. Yes, you’re right, you always are. “

“I am, that and with the followers we have, the utopia you dreamed of will exist.”

"We must go now then, my love! The sooner peace is achieved, the sooner we will have nothing to worry about but loving each other~"

"Of course, X... We will live in peace together, forever..."

"Forever~" he nuzzles him. "Carry me there Zero~!"

He laughs, scooping X up in his arms and stepping over reploid parts. "Yes, my lord~"  
he giggles. 

"Let us march forward to our futures, to the palace we build together!" X cheers.


	2. Opening Stage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opening stage

The base was grim, the hunters whispering to each other rather than shouting, as Vava walked down the hall. They stared- their eyes on him like hateful glares.  
They had heard what had happened, if not through him then through the copious rumors and retellings of what he had told Sigma.

Morale was low, it had hit the floor- no, it hadn’t just hit the floor. Unless said floor was at the center of the earth. It had sunk in the same way bricks do in water.  
Not only was the power-plant destroyed, but nearly all hunters were “taken care of” by Zero’s rampage through the buildings.  
If anything it certainly did not help with his popularity. He already felt bad enough about it…

_If I had said or done the right things. No, if I hadn’t frozen up… If I had shot at him… Maybe things would have been different…_

He squeezed his fist and sighed. 

“Vava.”

A female navigator, with pink hair and blue eyes, and a large communicator like a walkie-talkie rested where her audio receptors would be. She sighed, tapping a clipboard under her arm.

“Commander Sigma requests your presence,” she said simply.

Vava felt a lump where his voice module was and nodded. 

“I’m sure you know where his office is. You don’t need me to guide you- do you?”

He shook his head.

“Have a good day then,” she said stiffly and turned away. 

He hesitated before knocking on the heavy mechanical door. Unless you knew it was the commander’s office you could easily mistake it. It was rather ordinary and out of the way. Perhaps Vava was alone, but he wouldn’t have guessed Commander Sigma resided in such an ordinary place. 

The door lifted and was swallowed up by the wall, inviting entrance. He hesitated and blinked under his helmet. 

It wasn’t of importance to note the bookshelves on the walls, or how comical it was for Sigma to be hunched over such a small desk. It wasn’t even important that behind him were large windows that allowed a birds’ eye view of Abel city. The sky was partly cloudy, and the sun was soon to set and become dark. 

He was distracted by an old man in a chair in front of Sigma’s desk, looking at him with a strange twinkle in his eye, his head was bald and it seemed that any hair on his head had decided to grow as a beard and mustache, which was thick and snowy white.

“Commander Sigma…” he hesitated, “You requested me?”

“Yes… Do you know who is sitting with me?”

He shook his head. “No, sir.”

The old man chuckled. “Dr. Cain’s the name. Ring any bells?”

“O-oh!” Flashes of news coverage and snippets of online newspapers were pulled from his internal hard drive and matched to the face of the man before him.  
“You’re the one who found X…”

“And an architect. But nobody cares about that, phooey.” the cane in his hand knocked against the floor.

“I’m-”

“Ignore him,” Sigma said, looking like he was restraining himself. “He wanted to ask you a question.”

“Of course... “

Dr. Cain cleared his throat, “What did X refer to himself as again?”

“... He called himself the ‘Father of Reploids’, and he said that we were his children…”

Dr. Cain sighed. “I never thought he would go that far…” he rubbed his forehead, suddenly looking exhausted. “He always said that he hated that name, that title. Father. I suppose over time, he took more and more responsibility for reploids, but I never dreamed to imagine… “ he slumped back into his chair. “I suppose, looking back, everything falls into place. He was a worrier, always concerned about something or other. I found that charming, intriguing. But then, ever so slowly, he began to change after he joined the hunters. I expected him to flounder a bit, needing guidance. Military operations are not kind to those who are too sensitive. But to my surprise, he took all of it in his stride. You asked me, Sigma, if I thought he was ready to be a commander of his own unit. Do you remember what I said?”

Sigma took a breath, “Yes… You said it wouldn’t hurt to give him a shot.”

“Maybe that’s where I went wrong, too much responsibility so quickly. I suppose the turning point was when, one year ago, he met Zero. That mysterious reploid… didn’t come from X, you know.”

Vava stammered, “I-I heard he was found, going on a rampage…”

“And yet somehow X calmed him down. Perhaps Zero was intriguing to him because he was on the same level as him. Not from his schematics, not created from his design. His own, just as mysterious of a build as X, with even more mysterious circumstances. At least we know the famous Dr. Light- do you know about him?”

Vava shook his head. 

“Such a shame. He was a pioneer in Reploids. Well- he did create the first one, but he also created what is basically a prototype of reploids. They still had the limitations of their programming and the laws of robotics… But these robots could think for themselves and had unique personalities and feelings. It’s a shame no working specimens have been found, maybe we could understand the psychology of reploids better…”

Vava stared.

“Am I doing that rambling thing again?”

“Yes, you are,” Sigma said. 

“I figured that, what with the way he’s staring at me. You know, X told me about you a couple of times- Vava.”

“O-oh really? What did he say?”

“Not much, other than he saw himself in you, and that he wanted to guide you better.”

“Oh…” he felt a little disappointed.” Commander, I have something to ask you.”

“Ask away.”

“Yes, well… What will happen now…?”

Sigma hesitated, “There’s an energy crisis with the power plant destroyed. The government is working on getting energy from nearby cities and fixing the power plant. Until then, I was going to go alone.”

Vava gasped, “No you can’t! It’s my fault I-”

Sigma put a hand up, and he settled down. 

“I understand how you must be feeling, but I couldn’t ask you or any of my hunters to go out there against not only X- but Zero as well, the two strongest hunters we had. And not only that but various comrades. How could I ask them… to fight against them in times like this?”

“But commander, if you… If you die out there we would be lost…”

“That isn’t true. I already have a replacement in case that happens, and I trust him-”

“Sigma, I can’t… I already caused the deaths of so many people…” his fist clutched at his chest. “So many people have died because I was too cowardly to shoot… If I, if I let him… If I let him get away now…”

“It isn’t your responsibility. You’re a B-class hunter.”

Vava shuddered, _that’s right… a B-class. Of course, I couldn’t be trusted to go out.  
But…  
I can’t let any more people die because of my failures…_

“Sigma, I-”

There was another knock. Sigma’s gaze went to the button on the desk, and he pushed it. The same girl-navigator from before.

“Commander, there’s an attack on the central highway, reports indicate that Zero is behind the cause of the destruction.”

Vava stood. “Commander! I’m going out there… And… You can’t stop me!”

There was a beat of silence, that was interrupted by a guffaw of Cain’s laughter. 

“I like him. If you mean what you say- go and give it your all!”

The violet hunter’s eyes widened at the human archeologist, touched. “R-really? Thank you…”

“I don’t like this.” Commander Sigma sighed. “But since you insist, I suppose I will let you go and face him,” his expression hardened.  
“Godspeed to you.”

\---  
Vava steps onto the highway, wearing a helmet that covers his face in shadow. Mavericks and mechaniloids rage above and below. It reminds him much of the chaos that occurred after the bomb had gone off. 

But he was here to take care of it, he had said he would, and he has no intention of backing down when he has Sigmas’ blessing.

A bee mechaniloid flies down in front of him, blocking the entire highway with its body. Blazes of white-hot energy fire from its body, and it inches slowly forward. The helicopter blades carrying its body drone on loudly. It drops several smaller Ball-de-voux that slowly step forward in an automatic and mechanical way. Vava dashes forward, evading the plasma fire and charging his shoulder cannon. At almost point-blank range, he fires, the shot penetrating the mechanoid’s armor and into its core, causing it to explode and crash onto the highway. The other robots explode as well. Cracks form underneath Vava’s feet, its’ weight causing the slab of concrete to crash down to ground level.

He’s in shock as he falls to the ground.

_No way… Did… I do that?  
Does that mean that I am capable of..._

There is a chuckle. He gasps, looking up.  
His heart sinks.

"Oh? How impressive! And I was told you hesitated to fight, and here you are, relishing in it!" A voice taunts him from above.

Though his expression is invisible under the helmet, Vava said nothing.

"Hm? Cat got your tongue?"

"No." Is all he says. 

"Well, it isn't too late to surrender. My poor X has a soft spot for you... He will accept you with open arms!"

"I already told him no, Zero. You'll have to turn me into scrap before I even consider it."

"That may be sooner than you think! Fight me, Vava!"

"... Fine." He aims his cannon upwards, charging it.

_Could I really…?_

Zero laughs, flying at him with glee and sending shot after shot

He dodges, continuing to charge, then aims for Zero, firing.

And it misses. Zero, with tangible glee, kicks him in the chest. "You missed! HAHAHAHA!" and he grins, showing his sharp fangs. 

"Gh!" Vava rolls back, coughing, and then fires normal plasma shots at him.

When they land, they barely do any damage to Zero’s armor, and he only cringes for a bit. "You've barely improved at all!" Zero grabs him by the helmet, covering Vava’s face with his hand. "You think you, barely a B-class, can handle me?!"

"Hh-! L-let go!" He uses his left arm to try clawing Zero's hand off of his helmet, using the other to aim his charging cannon at the red Maverick.

Zero lifts him up off of the ground, Vava’s limbs dangle in midair, legs kicking and arms flailing to free himself. "Go ahead! Do you really think you can kill me? I’d like to see you try! If you can't see the gift my lord X gave you, you don't deserve to live at all!"

His hand holding the cannon is shaking, and his breathing is unsteady. Shoot, damn it!  
_Dammit, no, not again! I can’t fail ag-_

Zero slams him into the ground. Vava gasps, he can taste oil.

"See?! See?!" he aims his buster over him. "You never deserved X’s attention at all. Now you are just scrap metal underneath my feet, just like the rest of your comrades!"

_I failed them… I failed Sigma... It’s because of me so many people died… I’m sorry…_

The sound of a beam saber activating alerts them, before a glowing green blade slashes at Zero.

"GAHHH!" The red maverick screams, releasing Vava who thuds to the ground, and he leaps back, his hair flowing gracefully. "Tch... You,” he growls, like the thunderclap of clouds, "How dare you..."

"... C-Commander... Sigma?" Vava coughs, pulling at his now relatively crushed helmet to get it off. His hair covers his eyes and he blinks underneath his bangs, his purple eyes barely visible, and his tanned face glows in the nearby flames.

"You ripped me from X once, and you have the damned nerve to try again?!"

"You're spouting nonsense, Maverick. That's all you are to me and the rest of the hunters now." The towering commander of the Maverick Hunters hisses, saber at the ready and blue eyes narrow.

"You're a damn fool Sigma! We're trying to get rid of mavericks! The source of mavericks is reploids, so it only makes sense! If you can't understand that, it isn’t even really worth the effort to explain it to you!"

"We are trying to uphold the peace between reploids and humans. You are disrupting that peace by trying to commit genocide on one."

"Are you questioning my X?!" he hisses, hair fluffing up and his glare like pure rage and hatred, the venom in his eyes made Vava shiver, the shot fires through the air, coursing with energy as it aims for Sigma. 

Sigma doesn’t flinch, his face calm in spite of his hatred, and with the flick of his wrist, he slices the shot in midair. "I'm only stating facts."

"Fuck you and your facts! You don't understand how much pain my X has been through! Everyday fighting mavericks! Everyday dealing with the pain and stress… Everyday, coming to his room, it’s me, needing to be his shoulder to cry on. He's tired of it- I'm tired of it! This way will end it!"

"Sounds like Maverick talk. You aren't some kind of God to determine other people's lives and when they must end."

"You don't know anything, Sigma... You don't know anything at all.."

"Begone, Maverick."

He catches the glowing green saber between his hands, wincing. “No point in bothering to try and convince you that what you are doing is wrong. I will defeat you later,” his gaze shifts, “Vava."

He shivers, and Zero disappears into red light

Sigma turns to Vava, who's holding his helmet and his head. "Are you alright, Vava?"  
The purple war machine nods, closing his eyes. "I-I'm fine... But... Dammit... If it weren’t for you…”

“I can’t blame you for taking inaction. You’re trying, and for what it’s worth, even if you had taken action… X is an S-class, and a commander. Defeating him needs a miracle.”

“I know… But, I don’t want to stand by. I hate freezing up in the face of danger…” he sniffled, looking down at his crushed helmet. “Even though I want to uphold justice, even though…”

A hand is placed on his shoulder and he looks up.

“The navigators and I are searching for the location of X and Zero’s base. I will go on a scouting mission to find them.”

“But-”

“I’m not asking you to stay here. There have been other reported maverick attacks all over the area. I’m allowing you to go as the forefront of the mission to hunt them down.”

Vava blinks, “Commander… You would… You would give me another chance?”

Sigmas expression turns to a grim smile and something clicks.

“Oh… You don’t have any other choices do you…?”

Sigma shakes his head. “I saw you defeat that bee mechaniloid.”

“Sir, I don’t know how I…”

“But you still did it. I have faith you can do it again.”

“Commander…”

“I believe in you, Vava. You need to have faith in yourself if you want to do this.”

Vava nods, “Thank you. I will… Do my best.”

Sigma’s hand leaves his shoulder. “Don’t give up.”

And he disappears into a beam of green light.


	3. Chill Penguin and Storm Eagle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two birds, one flightless and one with wings.

He was trusted with this, by Sigma himself. As sick as it made him feel, there were no other options… He had to go through with this. 

He learned that the navigator with the pink hair was called “Nana.” 

“Sigma has assigned me as your personal navigator. There are… Eight mavericks, who used to be comrades of ours…”

Vava listened to Nana’s voice on the highway he had just confronted Zero on. The air still smelled of ash and sour with plasma discharge, and pieces of scrap and wreckage laid on the decimated highway.

“...Chill Penguin, Storm Eagle, Spark Mandrill, Armored Armadillo, Lanch Octopus, Boomer Kuwanger, Sting Chameleon, and Flame Mammoth… They’ve spread themselves across the world, so you will need to choose who you will to face first and I will send you the coordinates.”

“It doesn’t matter. Why would they go against us like this, why would they betray us…?” Vava’s voice turned to a whisper, “Why… Would they…”

“I don’t know. You will have to ask them yourself when you face them.”

“I… I choose Storm Eagle.”

“Are you sure? You know he is- my mistake,” she corrected, “Was the leader of the 7th airborne unit.”

“Yes but I… I know how he was so… so… Honorable… Why would he of all people turn his back on us? I need-”

“Again, you will have to ask him yourself… Have you received the coordinates?”

“...Yes. Transporting now.”

“Understood.”

…

The blue sky was an endless ribbon of blue and white cotton clouds, at the Newfound airport, there were no reploids. No one refueling jet planes to leave and take to the skies. At first, as Vava traveled the dangerous (well for humans maybe) elevators over the large military-like building, with large glass window panes. At first, the sky was cloudy and dark, but then it felt as if he walked into a photograph, the sky was so perfect and blue he suddenly wished he had wings to fly into it. Maybe that was why so many of those in the airborne unit was so- such-  
Egomaniacs. He couldn’t speak for Storm Eagle, he was such a low rank he wasn’t ever able to touch the man. But he has heard of others in the same units, they acted like they knew anything and everything, kings of the world, able to stand taller than those below them. And maybe, if he could reach the tops of the sky, feel the clouds soft touch at his fingertips he would feel the same way. Literally, to be on top of the world. 

But then again.

They are all gone now, they weren’ really at the top of the world, they are all so fragile. He’s fragile too. He doesn’t know how to face X, he will be shattered… Instantly.  
That’s why Sigma is going to face him, isn’t it?

Storm Eagle seemed to be waiting for him, he wasn’t expecting his wings to be so… Feathery. He expected them to be plates of lightweight metal constructed to look vaguely how a real animal would, but not comparable in the slightest. His neck and face were constructed with the same plumage, around his bright, eerily realistic eyes, bright red and yellow made the features of his face and beak stand out. He flapped the large- longer than his arms and cannon combined even, wings a few times at his presence, and the colorful feathers drifted away. 

“X said you would be coming, but I didn’t expect it so soon…”

“S-storm Eagle…” he swallowed, “Why… Just… Why would you do this?! Why would you- why are you helping X destroy all reploids?! You- you are also a reploid! Wouldn’t you also be destroyed?!”

“...” his wings flapped again, and he crossed his arms.  
“I… He destroyed my unit… And-” he cut himself off, swallowing painfully. “Forgive me, we have to fight. I know about you Vava, B-rank hunter without much of an aim. It’s commendable you came out here, but don’t be mistaken. I already know who’s the victor here. Show me what you’ve got.”

Before Vava could respond, the airship underneath them creaked and rumbled, Vava nearly lost his balance and the large warship rove quickly into the air, Storm Eagle’s wings flapped and he rose into the bright sky, the sun shining like a great big orange, millions of miles from where Vava had to fight. Where he felt, so-

The bird dove onto him before he could react, and Vava cried with pain.

The maverick, seemingly not by choice but out of desperation, flew past him again and he barely had enough time to react, let alone get a pitiful hit on him, which didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest. 

Nana’s voice suddenly rang through his ears, “be careful. He’s trying to push you off the edge of the airship. You fall and you’re history. Pieces of spare metal… Your body would instantly break.”

He jumped and looked down, he was so focused on trying to follow his movements he was barely inches away from crashing to the surface of the earth, the buildings speckling like model-sized and toys, the vehicles like ants. 

It made him feel both queazy and insignificant. But also, he wondered, if he wasn’t doing this… Would everything still be fine for everyone else? Miles and miles again, and the other part of the world? Where there other people out there- er, reploids, able to face X-

“T-thank you, Nana!”

“Just doing my job.”

He knew she meant that. But it was becoming harder to stand and stay on board of the airship. Storm Eagle stood in place, arms folded under his chest, just flapping his wings, but despite how little damage the attack did, every gust of wind sent him further and further back, and it grew tiring at staying in place, and every shot at him did seem to do less and less damage to him.

Maybe he is an egomaniac, just as the rest of them usually are, how he was standing there, taunting him for God’s sake. Just taking the pitiful amounts of damage, when he did manage to aim properly.

“It’s useless- you know that! Give it up!” Storm Eagle cawed and flew up into the air, his talons for feet the part he could see most clearly of his body- and yet he was not quick enough to dodge him again. His body collapsed onto the airship, heaving for breath, his core burning into his chest as he wept. 

Storm Eagle stood over him, Vava had only a split second before he stepped onto his chest, the talons digging into where his windpipe would be if he was ever human. 

“G-gh… S...Storm Eagle… you don’t have to do this…”

He charged his shot, the energy vibrated through his core. He felt tears streak down his face, in silent humility. 

“...I have no other choices. X is my commander now. It’s a dog eat dog world, the sooner you realize that the better you will be.”

He gripped his gun until he felt his fingers were going to split from his gloves, panting harshly, his vents blared as his emotional processor screamed in agony.  
He had to do this, and he already knew that the words from his throat spilled as sweet as honey.

“I can’t let you do this Storm Eagle!” he screamed, “I won’t let you help X slaughter everyone!”

He wondered who was more surprised, he or Storm Eagle, when his charged shot landed, and Storm Eagle exploded in a fit of feathers. 

The airship continued its travel through the air, and Vava stared at the smoldering crater, shaking.

He wanted to vomit.

“Good job,” Nana said, unaware of the wide eyes under his helmet. “One down. Seven more to go. Where would you like to go next?”

“N… Um… C-chill Penguin.” he couldn’t remember any of the names, except one. Perhaps it was fate then.

“...Are you alright?”

“...No.”

“Understood. You have the coordinates?”

“Yes… Transporting now.”

...

He shivered on top of the mountain. Not that he could see anything from the height, the blizzard of snow and chilly winds of ice shook him to the fiery core in the middle of his chest, where he pressed his hands against for warmth.

“It’s cold.” he chattered to Nana.

“0 degrees and counting. Watch for avalanches and snowballs.”

“Snowballs?”

“Well, the other reploids are likely deceased. You may not need to worry about them then. Good luck regardless, Vava.”

“Thanks, I guess…” he added. He quickly warmed up when he ran across the icy ground, his feet occasionally slid and slipped.

He didn’t think about it earlier, but ever since Nana mentioned other reploids being deceased, ever since the mechanaloids on the bridge it seemed none others were used. 

It made sense, he was going to rid the world of reploids, but mechanaloids could also carry the virus…

He wondered what Chill penguin's reasoning was. He didn’t know much about the reploid, he knew he ran a company within the unit X…  
Used to run. The Chill Penguin Company, they were easier to pinpoint because they were blue instead of the turquoise of the basic mass-produced models.

Vava himself was not a basic model. He was built to be a war machine, much how Zero was. He imagined it was disappointing to the people that designed him if they ever did become aware of the person he became. His weapon is… Overpowered. He never realized it before, but he managed to take Storm Eagle down so soon….

He stopped suddenly. In the cave of icicles and random paths of Metal, Nana spoke to him as he traveled. 

It was a capsule. Similar to the ones used for charging, but a little unlike those as well. It was blocking his path, so he supposed he didn’t have much of a choice in where to go. As he walked closer, it radiated energy he found to be familiar.

“What are you doing? I have been telling you to turn around for the past… 50 seconds,” Nana said in a clipped voice as if lecturing a child.

“Sorry!” he flinched away, “I’m just wondering… What this capsule is for… Why is it here?”

“You should have been paying attention. It doesn’t matter. This is a dead-end. “

“I know but-” the capsule turned on suddenly and he flinched, the image of an old and bearded man glitched, his voice with a tinge of artificialness.

“X, I hope it would have never…” he trailed off, blinking, “...You’re not X. That’s strange…”

“E-er how do you know X?”

“He is my creation… I am Dr. Thomas Light.”

Vava swallowed, “I… I hate to tell you this but… I am fighting against him… He has…”

The digital body sighed, “I was always afraid of this happening… I suppose the time he was stored away… Was not enough. If what you say is true… Please, show him the error of his ways. I know he can do better. Perhaps sealing him away for only 30 years wasn’t enough…. Or maybe… Too much?”

Vava didn’t want to tell him, that it was practically too late. Even if he did come back... He killed so many reploids.  
He would never be forgiven. He would be dismantled into scrap, just like how he supposed to dispose of the mavericks...  
Vava swallowed, his chest tight.

“I will, sir.”

“...He’s my child. As silly as it is to say maybe, I don’t know where the rest have gone, but as I am now artificial coding and hardware. He is all I have left.”

The image of him disappeared. With that, Nana’s voice appeared again, “You’re wasting time.”

“Did you hear what he said? He was… X’s… Creator…”

“That doesn’t interfere with the objective of the mission.”

“I know. But, Nana-”

“Please keep moving ahead. We can talk about this after you’ve defeated him…”

Vava took a few steps forward and moved past the capsule. “You think I can do it?”

“If you defeated Storm Eagle, you should have more confidence in yourself. At least, that’s what I think.”

“...Alright. I will Nana.”

Chill Penguin started the conversation by sneering at him like he was dirt on his boots.  
Vava took an immediate disliking to him, for his voice was like metal boots squeaking against wooden flooring. If you’ve never heard a reploid walk across a wooden floor you would understand why all floors in the hunter base are made of metal, and why it’s rare for areas outside of historical landmarks to have flooring not metal, tiled, or otherwise. 

“I’m going to start an avalanche over the side of this mountain!” he squawked, sneering at Vava. 

“Why are you helping X?!” Vava demanded, “Why would you help someone committing mass genocide?!”

“Do you have any idea how boring it was- staying at the base in the south pole for years?! I hate X! But it’s much more interesting being here than it ever was there. Plus I’m getting paid! AND he said he would spare me!”

“You’re awful Chill Penguin!”

“Ha?! I didn’t ask for a disrespectful brat to talk the talk, barking up the wrong tree when they have nothing to back up their words! Come on kid, show me what you’ve got!”

He was a lot easier than Strom Eagle. They were leagues apart in terms of skill. He constantly threw himself at Vava, sliding on his belly his eyes narrowed in cold malice to attack. It was also easier on his mental health, his psyche. He wasn’t struggling to stay alive, he wasn’t soaring through the skies under an impossible weight of guilt. He was stuck onto the ground, cold and smarmy, dislikable. He wasn’t worth a life to preserve. Able to turn so quickly, after all. With the promise of cash and a being spared. He was just so bored.

However, Vava lurched dryly, when he was in detailed remains. A smoldering crater of ash. His body shaking with the energy he just dispelled. What was left… Of chill penguin… Was a metallic beak, never to squawk dryly and noisily at him again. 

“Vava, you’re getting an incoming transmission. You should answer it.”

“Y-yes… Thank you, Nana. Um, I just, realized our names are similar…” he knew what he said was stupid, but it was easier to fixate on stupid things, at least, he thought so. It was easy when he was distressed, to just word vomit things that were stupid. 

“You’re about to miss the transmission.”

“Right…”

He was glad she didn’t dwell on his stupidity. It was even easier to focus on someone who is talking, and so he answered the transmission. 

“Vava, are you there?”

“Sigma!” Vava’s voice traveled and jumped into the audio receptor, he imagined, to wherever his commander was now. “Where are you? Are you alright?”

“I should be asking you that. I’m fine, I’ve almost located his signal, we’re estimating it’s somewhere in the pacific ocean. However, we have not been able to locate exactly where. How have you been doing?”

“Sigma, sir, Commander- I’m fine…”

“I know this is a lot. You’re still fighting against your comrades, maverick or not, it’s not going to be fun for you. You don’t have to do this. “

“It’s too late Commander. Two mavericks down…” he shivered, “it’s cold out here…”

“Chill penguin huh? Oi, he isn’t easy to handle... “

“He was easier than Storm Eagle at least, sir.”

“I’m surprised he turned against us… him, of all… Reploids…”

“I got the impression he wasn’t doing this by choice, sir.”

“ Even though they were comrades, I suppose it doesn’t matter, by choice or not, he still decided to go against us-”

“But sir! If you had to choose between your life and-”

“I would never abandon my beliefs. You didn’t abandon yours when he asked you to join him did you?”

“...No, I suppose not sir.” he sighed, “I’ll do my best to defeat the rest of the six mavericks.”

“Godspeed to you. You are doing a fantastic job Vava. But I also understand this cannot be good for you. X loved-”

“Sir, I’m disconnecting now.”

“...Understood. I know Nana is a little cold, but she will listen if you need to vent. “

“She’s just… professional.”

“That she is. Disconnecting now.”

And that was the last thing he heard of Sigma. Distantly, he heard a radio play.

“Let me play among the stars. Let me see what spring is like… On Jupiter and Mars…”

He hasn’t heard this song, and he doesn’t know where it is coming from, but he can feel the yearning from the singer’s voice, desperately holding for… Something.

In other words…. hold my hand…

Oh.

He glanced down to his hand and clenched the fist, imagining someone holding it, and warmth exuding from it. The soft grasp, and the feeling of, everything being okay...

In other words, darling, kiss me.

Vava closed his eyes, the snow-frosted landscape, and the cold disappeared from his mind. He imagined X kissing him softly, and looking at him, the way he lit up when he called Zero his darling. His hand on his cheek, the gaze in his eyes pure adoration, and he kissed him again. 

Then, his eyes turned red, and his breath caught into his throat, the cold reappeared and he took a few breaths to calm himself. 

Luckily, Nana spoke to him again before he could dwell on it too long.

“Are you ready to move on the next maverick? You would get too cold if you stay up there too long.”

“Y-yes!” he yelled, “I am!”

“Please select which one…”

“U-um… I forgot the names of the others.”

“I’ll select for you then. It’s cold, so going to Flame Mammoth should warm you up.”

“I-I have the coordinates. I’ll transport now…”

“Good luck.”

He paused, “Thank you... Nana.”

She didn’t respond again, so he zipped away in violet light.


	4. Flame Mammoth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight continues.

Warmed up for a fight as Vava was, he was sweltering in the heat of where Flame Mammoth resided. It was a burning furnace factory, the air was hot and chalky with ash and smoke. Under his helmet, his hair matted down with sweat and his face was moist. 

“Nana-” he huffed, “Are we getting close?”

“Strange…” Nana murmured back. “Chill penguin... “

“Hm? Nana? What about him?”

“The factory should have been shut down. But it’s… Too hot actually. When Chill Penguin was defeated, it should be colder…”

“Huh? Nana, you’re not making any sense…”

“...Sorry. I’m not… I’m being unprofessional.”

“Nana... I don’t mind. Especially since it distracts me from the heat…” 

His feet clanged against the metallic flooring. It nearly burned when he walked. And Vava blew out a breath. “I can’t take this Nana… It’s killing me, the heat... “

“Are your cooling systems operational?”

“Y-yes they are. Working too much… It’s s sweaty, and yet I’m so hot-”

He made a noise of pain and stumbled back, his vision blurring. It was one of the few- well, anything moving he’s seen. He wasn’t sure the name, but it moved up and down as it giggled at him and threw another pick-axe. He dodged and his canon tore through it into smithereens.

“Nice to see you again.”

Vava gasped and turned to see who was coldly sneering at him. 

“Z-Zero…”

“Isn’t too late to turn back.” His red eyes glinted crazily and he sneered with his fangs. “There’s a whole swarm of them just up ahead. Join us-”

Nana’s voice spoke to him, “Vava, why have you stopped?”

“Z-Zero is right in front of me!”

There was a pause. “I think the heat is damaging your systems. You need to get out of there.”

“But-”

“There are no other signals other than yourself, Vava…”

He paused and realized Nana was right. There was nothing else other than himself. He swallowed down the lump in his throat. 

“But… I just saw him. He was right in front of me...”

“Vava.” her voice became firm.”I think you should head back if the heat is affecting you so badly.”

“But Nana! I need to press forward, I need to make sure… Sigma, he’s counting on me! I have to keep moving forward!”

He jumped ahead, blazing through more and more robots throwing axes at him. He descended in an area full of green pipes. Vava jumped down on one that was rusted, it creaked under him but held. He nearly lurched with the heat and he panted heavily, the fans in his body screamed and forced the heat from his body, only to be replaced with more heat. His system pings at him several system warnings, soon to overheat if something didn’t change soon

“Your systems are hitting critical levels! You need to retreat now!”

“N-no, I’m moving forward!”

“Idiot! If you go offline then you won’t be able to save anyone!”

“I have to try!” Vava gulped a few hazy breaths of smoky hair. “I have to try Nana! I can’t let anyone else pick up the slack for me! You’ve heard about me! Everyone at HQ has heard about me that’s still alive! I’m useless Vava who everyone hates to work with! I couldn’t stop X from killing almost all of them!”

He dodged some pick-axes and nearly crashed into a robot. He paused for a moment. And jumped upwards, trying to get away from the surface of the lava, as far as he can. To in hopes, give his system a break. He pulls the helmet off his face, cooling down for only a second, he could see his face in the shiny pipes. Thick dark hair, purple eyes, and darkly tanned skin. Hesitating, he moved forward, panting and heaving, his fans blared loudly in his ears, and the coolant flushed his otherwise dark skin to bright red. 

“You’re acting like a moron!” Nana yelled, seeming to forgo professionalism. 

“I’m aware of that! I’m okay with that! I just want… I just want… To prove to everyone, I can do this. I defeated Storm Eagle, I defeated Chill Penguin.”

“But could you kill X?”

Vava hesitated, his vision blurring. “Nana, I don’t know…”

“...Was your relationship professional…?”

“H-huh?! Are you asking if we-”

He was cut off as he crashed into a door, his cheek soothed against the cool metal. Stumbling back, he could see in his blurred optics that the door was stamped with a logo of an “X”.

When did that happen?

When it opened, he crashed to the floor and didn’t fight it. Sighing with blissful relief, when it closes back, the hallway is cool. His coolant systems and his fans die down, calming. He sighs, the red from his cheeks dissipating, and his dark skin more apparent. He rests on the floor for a few minutes and slowly puts his helmet back on.

“...I see your systems have retreated back to normal levels. Somehow you made it. You’re rather lucky.”

“Lucky… I’m not lucky very often,” he grumbles. “I’m actually unlucky.”

“Well, regardless… You’re in the hallway to flame Mammoth. Are you ready to face him?”

“Am I? Well… Actually, that’s a good question. OH! I should have asked earlier, do you have any data on him in your systems…?”

“Hm… He requested not to be working with Chill Penguin… Wonder why…” she mumbled. “He used to fight in the middle east… Warnings about fighting with subordinates… Oh! According to here, he can spew oil from his trunk which he can later ignite. I’d advise you to avoid that if possible…”

“Thank you, Nana. That’s useful! Oh, by the way, why is your name Nana…?”

There was a pause. “Why are you asking me this now…?”

“U-Um well… thing is… I’m nervous. “

“You should be. Your systems are sensitive after being abused in the heat for so long... “

“That doesn’t help…”

“There’s a number seven on my chest armor. “

“I didn’t notice that…”

“Nana means seven in another language.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“I noticed. But come on, you took care of Storm Eagle, you can handle Flame Mammoth.”

“Nana…”

“Get in there already.”

He nodded, realizing she can’t see him he said, “Hai!” and waited for the door to open automatically.

Flame Mammoth was… Huge. His belly stuck out, eclipsing the source of light in the room. Vava blinked, his trunk slightly twitched from side to side, seemingly connected to a large series of different ball-type joints. His eyes were tiny, and from where he stood, they were just 2 small dots in a sea of white. 

“Um…”

“Ha! Ha ha ha!” he laughed, belly shaking up and down and trunk swinging back and forth. He leaned forward, imposing his massive size onto him. “This is what Sigma sent? You’re the Vava X was talking about? You’re even punier than Chill Penguin! Oh, this will be fun, I love crushing tiny little punks like you who they know best!”

“W-wait! Hold on, why did you join X? He’s not much taller than I am!”

“No, but Zero is tall. At least by your standards. And for little guys they pack a punch! They are worthy opponents. You can’t even aim now can you?”

“I… I… I have been trying… I’m trying! I…”

“Can’t be trying that hard. You got what? Storm Eagle and Chill Penguin? Small fries. Me? I’m the whole bag of potatoes. Come on. “

Vava nodded. “You don't want to talk… You just want to fight.”

“Nice going smalls, you figured it out.”

That was his only warming, he lurched forward, moving to his tiptoes, and he struggled to stay up. He hadn’t realized the floor was a long yellow conveyer belt, his speed was cut in half, and every moment he was still, he was being sent back to the back of the room. But it was a good thing, there was a nasty glint in the large Mammoths eyes and he jumped up and forward, he barely missed the large foot crushing his body flat into a pancake. 

Since he was a large target, it was easy to fire at him. Flame Mammoth jumped and Vava dodged and he would jump and the surface of the place would become slick and infested with oil.

However, Vava was only alerted to the ignition of the flammable liquid with a split second to react, only barely dodging the wave of fire that charged him. Heat again blasted his systems, which still needed time to fully cool down. Rolling away from the Maverick, he heaved in a cooling breath of air, his artificial lungs doing their best to clear out the smoke that now filled the air.

“What’s wrong, little Hunter? Can’t handle the heat?” The behemoth howled with laughter, spewing more oil into the air, his thick armor deflecting the plasma from the violet hunter’s cannon.

Vava hesitated, leaping away from the spray. “I thought… You said… no talking!” He gasped, his cannon charging upon his shoulder. He swung around, the blast splitting through the fiery Maverick’s chest armor as he cried out in pain.

Flame Mammoth’s body collapsed to the ground, the force of impact rumbled through the room and he was forever gone. His size prolonged the fight, but it didn’t seem to matter.

“...Vava… are you there?”

“Hai. Nana…”

“Oh… Good work. Flame Mammoth is down. But you already knew that…”

“Yeah…” he looked away from the wreckage. “For someone who was so large… he could seriously jump. And the room, it moved with. It moved w-with conveyor belts! I was worried… That I was going to be trapped against the wall. A-and he would jump onto me. And you know- you know what would have happened if he-”

Nana cut him off. “Don’t worry about that, it didn’t happen. “

“You’re right…”

“Hm… 3 down… Next is Sting Chameleon, Boomer Kuwanger, Armored Armadillo, Launch Octopus, and Spark andrill.”

“Maybe I should have a little more um, information on them…”

“Information is limited but… I think Boomer Kuwanger would be good as a next bet. He is located in a tall building in the heart of Abel City. It was abandoned after the nearby explosions and… They’ve been using it as a fortress for mavericks. I hear from his reports that he is a very logical and reasonable person-”

“If he was reasonable he wouldn’t be a maverick right now…”

“I know. But I’m just saying… Maybe you would be able to change his mind.”

“I suppose you’re right Nana… But, please… Don’t get my hopes up.”

There was a pause.

“You’re getting a transmission from Sigma.”

“So soon?”

“Answer it.”

He did, and he heard his commanders voice once again.

“I received the report that you defeated flame Mammoth.”

“So soon?” Vava blinked under his helmet.

“Nana is a very fast typist, and was likely typing and watching you at the same time. I also received your systems were compromised by the heat. On the way to the next location, I scouted… I took care of Sting Chameleon.”

“Oh! S-sigma, you didn’t need to do that… I could have done it.”

“It was on the way.”

“So you’re-”

“In the jungle sector, yes. I haven’t found anything yet, but as your commander I want you to rest. You took care of 3 mavericks all on your own. You deserve a break.”

“But sir! Everyone at the base is counting on me! If I’m not able to do this… Then all the lives sacrificed by X’s hands will have gone in vain..”

“I don’t see it that way at all.” Sigmas’ firm voice rang through his ears. “I see it as a reploid who deserves a break, taking it.”

“But… Sigma... “

“It isn’t selfish for you to take a break after everything you’ve been through. Especially all you’ve been through… A weaker man would have died you know.”

“Oh.. Everyones always reassuring me. I’m not that strong if-”

“Vava, go back to base and take a break. That’s an order.”

Vava sighed. “Yes, sir.”

…

The mood in the base was already at a low, but it seemed that the grey clouds that shrouded the bright and wonderful sunset. The bright colors that swept across the sky were damp and tampered, painted over in grey. Vava took in a deep breath and walked down the call.

“Vava.”

He turned. He first wrote Nana off as just a pink-haired reploid with a large red audio receiver on the side of her head. The antenna was shining as it stuck out into the air. Silvery in the light. There were two sevens on her chest, and a lock of her hair was white. 

“...Nana. You look like-”

“Before you go to your room, I want to speak with you for a bit… I found a report written by X. And if it isn’t too much trouble… I wanted to discuss your professional relationship-”

“There isn’t anything there Nana.” He said coldly. “Please… I don’t want to talk about this. Please, please be… professional. “

“...I understand. Excuse me then.”

He heard her footsteps leave and breathed a sigh of relief.

_It doesn’t matter anymore… How I used to feel about him… He’s a maverick._

“It hurts though. “

_can’t trust anyone with that… that I used to love him. I don’t know how she knows but it doesn’t matter anymore…_


	5. Boomer Kuwanger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vava and Boomer Kuwanger fight, and he still struggles.

"Vava..."

"..."

"Vava!"

"...Mm..." he looked up blinking away the harsh lights overhead. "...X?"

He smiled at him, eyes soft, "Were you asleep?"

Vava yawned and stretched back, mouth dry. "I guess... I guess I was. Sorry."

"You know, break time is over. You need to get back to your unit."

"What?!" He looked around, shocked it was empty except for him. He fell the tears under his helmet well. "Shit! I'm late again! My commander is going to kill me!'

"Again? How often does this happen...?" X laughed.

Vava looked away. "Too often..." he grumbled. he groaned, voice rolling through the empty corridor. "I can't believe this. I always screw up somehow..."

"Hey," X spoke gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, I'm sure your commander will understand." he shook his head, 

"He isn't at all like you X. Not nearly as nice to me. Er, I don't... want to complain, but It's sort of like, nothing can satisfy him. I try my best and he keeps on pushing me to be better."

"That's the duty of a commander."

"I know. I-I know it is. but it's hard. I mean, A lot of the time, I don't think I am getting better. I don't feel like I can." 

X shook his head, "Can you afford to be a little later?"

He sighed, "I guess. 10 minutes late, 20, an hour. It doesn't change anything."

X lifted his hand to him, and Vava blushed, staring at it. 

"...X?"

"Just trust me alright? I won't hurt you. Pinkie promise."

"Well, I didn't think you were going to hurt you, but now..."

X chuckled, and Vava laughed with him, smiling under the helmet. He took his hand, and X gently gripped it. His face colored deeper, holding his warm hand... X pulled him up, "Well, in any case, I promise."

"I trust you."

"You do?"

He nodded.

"That's all I wanted to hear."

He guided him up to the elevator, and they rid of the roof, he wasn't allowed. Only S-class and commanders of units were allowed on the roof. He wasn't sure why, what the worry would be exactly, what they would do. He's not sure if he was allowed on the roof, he would probably never go. Be scared of the mounting heights. The only thing that would allow him to go up there, was X's warm presence. His heart thrummed in his chest, realizing their situation. Alone, in an elevator. 

_Together._

how was that not terrifying? And yet... in another way, deeply, deeply exciting... down to his core. To who he was. Even... 

No, stop thinking like that. X is a kind higher up and nothing more. You wouldn't want to ruin that, would you?

No, he would not.

"Close your eyes, okay?" X broke the silence they were in, and his face flushed.

"Oh, er, why?"

"Just for a moment."

"Well... alright..." he was blind, letting X take control of where he went. he guided him calmly, and confidently. 

"...Can I open my eyes?" he whispered.

"In a minute," X whispered back.

"..." he nodded. "Okay."

X stopped, and his other hand was taken from his grasp. 

"Don't open your eyes, just tilt your head up."

Vava obediently followed his directions, looking up. 

"...Now... Open your eyes."

They fluttered open, and widened, with a gasp. The day had sent into night early, he felt the chill seep into his skin from the winter air. A chill that had been shielded away from him by X's warmth. The stars winked and twinkled over him, smiling happily. He smiled happily. 

"X... Are the stars always like this?"

"They aren't. It's rare for them to shine so brightly, and be so visible. I've only seen them like this once before... I wanted to make sure, you would see them.

"Me? W... Why me?"

"When you're struggling with something, I want you to think of this moment. Truly... You're like these stars. They may not shine brightly like this all the time, but I know that they can. And they are gorgeous."

"..." he was steaming under his helmet. "That's so... kind of you."

"Kind..." X chuckled.

"You are! You are. You're the kindest person I will ever know." 

"...I don't think that I am."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I, I just feel. I always feel like I can do more... and yet- all my hopes, all my dreams, I feel like that they can be granted too. How long do I have to wait? How far away, on this timeline, that is my life, do I have to wait for that? Sometimes... I want to just... Wait in my bed until then. Can I just sleep until then and you, or someone else wake me up?"

"But... But..." Vava swallowed, "You work so hard. Always. For all of us. It's what is so wonderful about you. If... If you didn't work so hard, those dreams would never come true."

"I know." X smiled at him. "But it makes me feel better, hearing that from someone else. I have to be strong for so many people, I feel like I'm going to drown. But I know you understand, Vava. I can be myself in front of you."

They stared at each other for a moment. Then suddenly, fear struck Vava and he pulled his hands away. 

"Ack! Oh no, oh no, I know what I said earlier, but my commander, I'm going to be punished so badly, I don't want to scrub the toilets again...I..." he swallowed, "I should go." 

"Don't worry about it."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I emailed your commander and told him you were with me. Since I am his superior, he won't punish you without me having to say anything about it. After all, you were a great help." he winked

Vava gaped at him, eyes wide. He couldn't help it, tears coming to his eyes. He threw his arms around X's sides, embracing the taller reploid. "You... You are so kind. No one else had ever been so kind to me. No one else... Ever will be..."

"..." X hugged him back, holding his subordinate. "Don't mention it. You deserve this kindness... You do. Remember... Vava... Please, I hope you'll remember this... Whenever you need help, I always want to be there for you. I want to be... your knight in shining armor."

Vava nodded into his chest, and X stroked the back of his helmet. "I will. I will always... let you know when I need help. Always."

"That's what I want to hear. I will always be in your corner. People are so cruel and mean to you. I don't want to be that way. Ever. So, please-

Depend on me."

...

"Vava?"

There was banging on the door. 

His eyes opened slowly, "X...?" he groaned, and rubbed his head, throbbing with a sudden headache.

"No. It's your navigator. Nana."

"..." He sucked in a breath, the realization of where he was nearly throttled him into submission. The hunter got up- and promptly banged his head on the glass with a hiss. "Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck!"

"...Are you alright?"

"Yes!" he nodded, whimpering, "I-I'm fine!"

"Good." she paused and called through the outside of the locked door. "I think it's been enough time to rest Do you?"

"Y-Yes. I agree, Nana. We should head onto the next Maverick. Uh, what was his name again?"

"Boomer Kuwanger."

"Right, right, right. Boomer Kuwanger. Er... I'll... I'll be out in a minute," he said quietly. 

"...very well, I'll be waiting for you." 

He stared at the wall. 

"...Can I do it?" he whispered, "Could... I kill him?"

He didn't know. But he knew he had to believe that he could. That when he needed to... he could defeat him. As worrying as it was... Was else could he do?

Vava straightened, holding onto the sudden determination he could hold on. He had to believe. Be had to believe... He could kill the only person who was ever nice to him

He exited the room, where Nana was waiting for him. 

"Are you ready now?" she asked, a little impatiently.

"..." he nodded. "Un. I'm ready." he straightened, and she nodded.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." She handed him a handkerchief, it was softly pattered with crisscrossing pastel colors, like a braid, and lined with fine white lace. He stared at it, perplexed, and took it since she wanted him to have it. It was soft, gentle. Far more than anything else he had, anything he had in his possession. 

"what's this?'

"Good luck charm." She said, "Don't be telling people I gave you this. " She scolded, "I just want you to have something to... keep you grounded I suppose. You need it."

"Is this your way of being nice? Are you warming up to me?"

She blushed, "Shut up, I mean it."

He took it, not sure where to put it, he folded it, tucking it inside of a tight spot in his breastplate. "I appreciate it, I do Nana. Thank you... I'm sorry for snapping at you before."

She closed her eyes, turning from him. "Whatever. Whatever, it's fine. It's... it's fine, really fine."

"it's not fine, is it?'

"...No. Truthfully, I am worried about you being able t handle the rest of the mission. It's not personal, but from what I heard, you were... good friends."

_Oh._

_So that's what she meant._

A spread of relief spread over him. Vava waved over Nana, "Really don't worry about it. I... Probably shouldn't have snapped at you."

"I hate to admit that you were right but you were. Just as I tell you to be professional, I should be too. But... I want this mission to succeed. We all do, Vava. So do your best."

"All this pressure is making me sick... he cusped a hand over his mouth and she shook her head.

"I'm going to throw up. Whatever, come on. It will take me 5 minutes to get to my desk, and I'm sending you the coordinates.

"Hai."

They stood in silence.

"Got it?"

"Yep."

"You know the drill."

"I do." he saluted awkwardly and she rolled her eyes at him again. "Ugh, men-"

She disappeared, and he instantly materialized inside of where he was supposed to be.

_"Woah."_

He stared up with awe. He was inside a lush and luxurious building, the kind with red carpet and marble flooring, solid gold trim along with everything, shined to perfection, elevators manned by men in ridiculous suits. Yet, the gold trim looked not 24 karat, it looked silver and rough. The elevator buttons were sparkling with electricity from cut wires, the chandelier that was hanging over, he supposed rich humans heads had broken into a million sparkling crystals. he stepped on one on the way in. the carpet squished under his foot. Holding his breath and realized it to be oil. Vava gagged and wanted to run out the door. 

"Can you hear me Vava?"

"Yes! I can hear you, Nana."

"Good. The maverick is on the top floor. Your objective is to reach him. Understood?"

"The top floor? The elevator is broken." he looked over to the still smoking wires. "How am I supposed to get up there?" 

"The stairs?"

"Oh." his surprise echoed. "Right, of course."

"don't do anything stupid."

"I- What? Er... okay? I promise I won't I guess. "

"Good."

"Where did that come from? Nevermind, are there other mavericks in the building?"

"Do you need me to answer that?'

"No."

"I thought not. Proceed, I'll be watching."

"That's... somewhat comforting, and somewhat creepy."

"Go along, hurry. We still don't know where X and Zero are or what they are doing. The sooner we can get the city settled, the sooner we can focus solely on that."

"Hai." 

He stepped forward, holding back his disgust. His steps echoed menacingly along the marble floor and thumped up the stairs. 

"I have access to the building's plans, but the stairs are not marked on the map. Or, they are hidden on purpose? "

"do you think, the mavericks would do something as sneaky, as to hide the maps with staircases "

"I don't know. It sounds... it sounds unrealistic."

"Yes, it does sound unrealistic. "

"But, X..."

"..." she went silent on the other end. 

"Never mind, then. Ah... " he searched down the dark hallways, activating his night vision just to make it easier. 

Quiet, empty. Vava's foot seemed to make the room echo, he stepped forward. entering the hall. The carpet was a dried, wine red, with holes and scratches in it. Vava shivered as he looked up, a light creaked above. Hauntingly. He stepped over multiple reploid servants, outfits stained with red and black. Still dressed in french maid outfits, with large aprons and billowing skirts, and stiff suits. Eyes blank and dead. 

"...Nana... This place is freaking me out."

"Understood, it's creepy. Proceed."

"Nana, I don't want to. Is there no way to proceed immediately to the top floor?'

"No, we don't have access to those coordinates. The top floor is for private use only. The CEO has blocked off all communications relating to it. That benefits them- AH!"

Vava screamed and shot through the darkness, all was left was the scraps of a green humanoid. 

"Asimov that scared me... What's that?"

"Where?" vava stepped over the corpse and gasped, looking into the well lit secret passage, of rusty olive green pipes, and platforms reaching higher and higher.

"Nana! This must be how the mavericks are moving through the building!"

"I bet it's a lot faster than searching through or the stairs," she sighed. "proceed."

It was a lot easier after that, mavericks were able to be seen coming a mile away. More green humanoids with orange-accented shields burst into explosions, and he tip-toed around automated mechanoids, stuck to the walls and shooting at him, back and forth in a mindless rhythm. In no time, he reached the top of the tall fortress, where they were out looking over the entire city. the jewels, the riches, it's wealth. Vava understood the appeal, as a millionaire would want to have, and what he would bask in.

But he didn't have a very high opinion of whoever ran the building, leaving all the reploid servants to die inside. He shivered, feeling disgusted in the back of his throat. No. Whoever they were, didn't deserve anything they had gotten in life. It was said to him, that whoever they were had gotten away with it. And when this was all over, no one would ever remember the names of the people who worked here and died.

"My, my... You've finally made it."

Boomer Kuwanger, a beetle mechanaloid appeared behind him, when Vava had stopped staring out the window. The mechanaloid strode across the room and sat at the large desk. Vava eyed the name, where Boomer Kuwanger replaced whoever it was before.

"Sit, sit."

Vava sat at the other side of the desk, Boomer Kuwanger still slightly taller than him, even when sitting.

They stared at each other.

"...Boomer Kuwanger."

"Yes?"

"Why are you doing this?" Vava asked, closing his eyes. "Why... are you doing, any of this? I don't get it, what's even the point?"

'The point?" Boomer Kuwangers dark eyes blinked at him, "are you asking me the point to all of this? Or, are you asking me why I'm involved?"

Vava sucked in a breath, "Both."

'Well... you've read my file then, it says I'm a reasonable person doesn't it? That I can consider every fact in something, and make reasonable decisions based on that, right? That I am a great leader. A valuable asset to the hunters."

"...well, Yes."

"Then that's what I did. I considered X's case. That we are the ones that need to be exterminated, for a lifetime of peace. No, I don't agree with that."

Vava closed his mouth.

"I don't know if that's true if reploids were a mistake. I don't want to feel that way about who I am. Nobody wants to think they are the problem, and that in itself is a problem, isn't it? we aren't able to self reflect. We aren't able to judge, as someone omniscient, that we are the ones who are unable, to face ourselves, and say if what we are doing is right. What we are doing, will help ourselves and the world. We can't do that. But also, I look myself in the mirror, and I say if I stay at the hunters. I could be killed, by the strongest living reploid in the world..."

He glanced out the window. Suddenly grinning, it sent a sick feeling down Vava's spine.

"I can either do that, or I could have some fun."

"You're a monster."

He shrugged, "I don't mind that. I know I made the right decision. I can't say the same for yours."

Boomer Kuwanger gripped the shears on his head and flung it at him, Vava leaped behind the chair, it stabbed through the plush material, stuffing poking out with a pop. Vava looked over it to see him and he was suddenly captured in his grasp. Vava kicked and fought, firing at random. His body was suddenly light as a feather and he screamed, flung into the glass ceiling. Shards of glass cut into his skin and flung across the room. He hit the floor with a hard shud, tears in his eyes as his body shook. Shakily, he got back up, vision smearing as he attempted to search for Kuwanger. 

"GAH!" he screamed, feeling something sharp puncture him. he felt the punctured coolant leaking down his abdomen. His vision was star-studded with pain. He could feel Nana screaming in his ear.

"VAVA! VAVA! DON'T GO OFFLINE, DON'T GO OFFLINE! YOU NEED TO STAY ALERT, STAY ALERT!"

"Gh..." he fired at him, Boomer Kuwanger dodged and he felt the pain, stab frighteningly fast through him. 

He clutched the handkerchief, "I'm sorry..." he felt his body sink to his knees, and onto the ground. 

"Any last words?" He heard him taunt. 

He wasn't sure what to say in return, the ground hadn't stopped spinning, his ears hadn't stopped ringing. He kept short, small breaths, wondering if it was all even real. Was it real? Was it happening? the tears in his eyes fell to the ground. And he closed his eyes.

Boomer Kuwanger screamed.

And there was a thud. 

"..." his eyes fluttered open. 

The world came into focus. His breath is stolen away. No... it can't be, this, this isn't possible... 

"X?"

His blue buster smoldered, still pointed at Boomer Kuwanger. Satisfied, he blew away the smoke with a smile.

"My, my, that was close wasn't it? Hm?" 

He shook, voice quaking, "A... ahhh..."

"A-ah." he tutted, "No need to thank me. After all... I can't save you again the next time this happens. That was close, and I want you and I to see each other in the final act. I want you to look upon me, as I tell you, that try as you might, I am the only one who will understand you. The only one to love you." his red eyes sparkled, "I know you need me, my dear. Come home with me." X spread his arms out, and Vava felt his warm embrace like shivers, the touch of a ghost.

He doesn't know how he stood up to it.

"No." 

X was disappointed, looking at the ground, arms gently falling to his side. 

But not surprised. He held his voice tight, looking at him with steely eyes. "Very well. I expected that. I hope you'll be able to face me then Vava. I know you can do it. No one else can. not even Sigma. But you can. Because you're the one who truly understands me. One of two people who I adore-"

"You're a maverick." his voice shook. 

"What are you doing?" Nana hissed, "Shoot him!"

"No need." Vava felt his voice in his ears, "Vava needs repairs, he probably wouldn't be able to aim right. I don't mean that as an insult, I mean it literally. I believe Kuwanger cut through the line that connects to his balance circuitry but that's only my guess, you should take a more thorough look at the base."

X smiled at him again. "I hope to have more fun when we see each other again." He winked and disappeared.

"..." Vava stared at where X just stood, quietly laying on the ground. 

"Oh- Vava, good news! he hacked into our server comms! that means we can trace his signal and follow him! this will end soon!"

His eyes slowly closed. 

"Vava? Can you hear me, Vava? Report back to base!"

He passed out on the spot, dreaming of something warm. Something gentle, smiling at him and kissing his tears away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh jesus christ I haven't updated this is 8 months??!?!  
> oops.  
> To the last commenter who asked for more, this chapter is for you.


	6. Vava vs Zero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Zero... I'm sorry..."

"Vava..."

The violet reploid sighed.

"What do you want now? What do you want X? What the hell do you want from me? Haven't... Haven't you... Haven't you taken enough from me? My heart? My soul?"

X looked sad. "Didn't I make you happy?"

"...You've done enough. You've ruined me."

"The end is coming near."

"You should be scared." Vava's voice became firm.

"No. Vava... You should be scared. Can you handle facing me? Ne?"

"It doesn't matter if I can or if I can't. I have to."'

"You don't."

"...There's nothing else to say, Maverick."

"You know, you don't feel that way. You know you don't think of me as a Maverick..."

...

"Vava."

His eyes focused. Nana waved her hand, "Can you hear me?"

"...I think so," he said slowly. "I am not dreaming... anymore, am I?"

"No. You are not dreaming."

"How can I be sure at all when I feel like I'm going insane?"

She sighed. "I know how you feel, Vava, but now is not the time. I need you to listen to what I will say next. Now, are you going to listen?"

"..."

"Are you going to listen?"

"...Yes," he said softly.

Nana narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. Taking in a breath, she spoke clearly. "We have tracked X's signal. When he hacked into our communications, he was clumsy and left traces. They were easily able to be followed. When you've recovered, Sigma will already be on his way to defeating him. So take it easy, okay?"

"What?!" He hissed, crying inwardly. It was still excruciatingly painful, and his whole body stung. "I have to face him! It's my responsibility! I have to... I have to face him. I caused this mess. I-"

"-Proved that you couldn't handle it."

Vava looked at her, shocked. 

"Be honest with yourself, Vava. I'm not saying this to be mean, and you know that. I'm not like the- hunters who made fun of you. I'm saying this only because it's true. Vava, if you went out there the way you are, you will die. I know you're capable. And those people are wrong-"

"I DON'T CARE! I HAVEN'T BEEN USEFUL ALL MY LIFE! ALL THOSE PEOPLE ARE RIGHT, NANA!" He screamed, with a horrible outburst, his voice strained inside his throat. Warm tears became hot under his helmet. "I HAVE NEVER BEEN USEFUL! THIS IS MY ONLY CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT! I SURVIVED WHEN SO MANY HUNTERS, MORE CAPABLE THAN ME- DIED!"

She whimpered, tears forming. 

"THEY ARE DEAD, NANA! BECAUSE OF ME! DON'T YOU GET IT?"

She fell to her knees, bawling like a baby. It shocked him so much the tears on his face froze and shaking all over. His anger melted into a feeling that toiled inside of him messily, something impossible to explain. 

She cried and wailed at the top of her lungs, and her cries dug deep into him. It scared him. It... frightened him to see her like this, so broken.

He paused, not even sure it was right to say a word. "Nana-"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I LOST EVERYTHING, AND YOU'RE CRYING BECAUSE I DONT WANT YOU TO DIE? JUST SHUT UP! I CAN'T STAND HOW GODDAMN WHINY YOU ARE!"

She stood up, her lip curled with disgust, her wet eyes red. "You're so fucking pathetic! Fine! If you want to go out there and die, I can't stop it. I can't stop you. See... See if I goddamn care!"

She slammed the door with a loud clang.

Everything was loud, everything was screaming, everything was awful. X taunted him, taunted him with a dance and song, sauntering coyly at him, as he was always a maverick. Toying and plucking at his strings, like a fairy playing the harp. He did it so, so, so delicately. It played in his heart like a beautiful song. And at its peak, when he was more lost than ever, he cut the strings. And now he could see X had broken more than just him. He had broken Nana. How many others were hurt and scared and hopeless? 

He thought about the humans out there. Who were just as scared, and hurt, and confused. But also the ones he knew were out there. Who dismissed him as a reploid. Who never bothered once to see how they were coping. But put their faith onto their shoulders, like a pat on the back that's too hard.

"You'll take care of it." And we won't do anything until it's gone in the past. It's always been this way. Why would it change?

But then, X was thinking like this. Or was it different? X always spoke, so calmly, so... He wasn't sure. He had always seen X as so sure of himself. For that to be broken... He didn't know what to think, nor how to feel about it all. It wasn't right, and it wasn't sane. X was no longer sane. But in those quiet, quiet moments, if he said the right words, could he have peeled back the layers and cusped the frays of sadness that settled in spots like freckles on the surface? His sorrow was always there. But just humans were so, so damn certain of things. He was like everyone else and knew that X could take of it. Like Sigma, and Nana, and all the hunters in the base, he never truly knew him.

He was sorry for X. The only one who truly knew him now was a maverick, just like he was. And that's just how it would always be. When you became a maverick, that was it. His beloved X would always be like this. The only thing he could do for him would be to end it. He had to.

He held himself with determination.

And he contacted Sigma.

"...Vava?"

"Hai, commander. Nana told me you were going to face X." 

"I told her not to."

"... I see. I'm sorry about that, Commander. I think I know why you told her not to, and your fears are right. I want to go with you. I want to face X. I need to face him. I need... to defeat him."

"...Vava..."

"You're right, Commander. And everyone is right. Even you and Nana. I am weak. I am... so, so weak, and it kills me inside when I see myself... and I know I'm not strong, I never will be. That is... I know I won't be if I can't do this, I'm never going to become... a true hunter."

Sigma sucked in a breath. "I can't. I can't let you."

"... Commander, I need to."

"Vava-"

"Commander." he interrupted him, his voice edged. "Please. I need to do this."

The hunter Commander didn't say anything for a moment.

"... It seems you've grown a lot in so little time." Sigma said, "I should feel proud, but I'm just sad. It's a sad situation, isn't it? But you don't need me to tell you that."

Vava sucked in a breath and sighed. Tears pricked his eyes, and he let out a stuttering gasp. "I know. It's hard... I can't... No, I can. I have to."

Sigma sighed. "It's your decision. if you want to face him, you can."

"Commander! I... Thank you. Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me. X's reign of terror ends here."

X's reign of terror ends, and the reploid whom he loved will be gone forever. Somehow, the tears came rushing back. How can you be so sad and yet so happy?

"I'm sending you the coordinates."

"Thank you, commander," he repeated with a heavy voice. "Thank you."

...

He wasn't sure what he was expecting. The fortress that laid before him was so far away from civilization, from humanity. It was wasted on the cup of isolation, where nothing of great importance surrounded it. When he looked back at the memory, he couldn't remember anything but the large, gleaming fortress that seemed impossible to ignore. It was silly that they haven't found it before now. Silly, silly. It was ridiculous that it did take so long. The whole land was a pale white, covered in thick powdery snow that fell apart. The fortress dusted in the powder.

He felt like he was staring him down right that second.

His Commander called to him, and he didn't listen to a word he said. His voice rung through his ears as though they were far, far away, and his voice drunkenly underwater. He swam forward. Marching closer and closer to the front entrance.

"VAVA!"

He was pushed out of the way, as Sigma took a nearly fatal hit. His arm severed clean off, his energen, now black oil dripped down his arm.

"Ah-a... C-commander... COMMANDER!"

"Look out!" he grunted.

Zero.

He dodged, and his cold blade struck the ground with a grating shriek, slicing through the snow like butter, steaming as it laid in the cold.

"Tch! Dammit! I can't believe this!" he hissed, retrieving his hot Z-saber. He flipped around the blade, holding it out to Vava paying no mind to Sigma. Like he wasn't even there.

"This is fucking bullshit. This is fucking BULLSHIT!" Zero screamed at him, and he was so terrified and yet so confused. 

"What are you-"

"WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?! HUH?!" Vava truly was frightened. Before on the highway, Zero had an almost playful demeanor with the last time they saw each other, only angered when Sigma interrupted and lost his "kill". But right now, he was like a demon full of rage. Through his bitter and ugly gaze was a fury he has never seen. It was ugly, and his hair flew with the cold wind like a sign of his death.

"You fucking piece of shit! You fucking... COWARD! YOU DON'T DESERVE X! YOU DON'T DESERVE HIS KINDNESS! YOU DON'T DESERVE HIS FORGIVENESS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!"

"...What did I do?" Vava whispered, flinching as that made things worse, his gaze much more hateful, his disgust so thick the snow could melt. 

"What did you do? What the hell didn't you do...? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU RETARD?!"

That pissed Vava off. His indignance at being blamed for something he had no control over became self-righteous. "How dare you use such hateful language! How dare you! X would never say anything like that! He may be a maverick, but he would never call anyone that!" 

"VAVA THIS! VAVA THAT!" he was shaking, grasping his mind like it was causing him pain. Ignoring what he said. "Vava this... Vava that, I have to go to save him, what the hell is that, he's trying to kill us, trying to fucking kill you, how dare you, how dare you, you've ruined our happiness... you've ruined us, you've ruined us. How are we supposed to fucking happy, so fucking happy? How are we supposed to be in love? He's mine, he's fucking mine, you shit head, and you can't have him. You can't have him. He's mine. He's mine. He's mine, he's mine, he's mine, he's mine, he's mine, he's mine, he's mine."

He swore he could see the repeated words float through the air. His descent into madness was pitiful, with gasps and shivers. Pity flashed in Vava's chest. He didn't want this...

"I didn't want this. I never wanted this."

"...It isn't your fault..." He speaks like he is sane again. His anger washed to sadness that deeply moves Vava. "It wasn't your fault. I've always been like this. I turned X into what he was. I'm the reason why they are mavericks. Society would have been better if I had been destroyed, but he still loves me. Why couldn't I have been only his? Why am I not happy? Shouldn't I be happy? I'm not because I'm not his..."

"I'm not his either! I never belonged to X! I wanted to before he became a maverick! I loved him. I loved him before everything was like this!"

"You don't deny it."

"No, I don't."

"..." Zero pauses, "It's my fault, isn't it? I am the maverick that destroyed all reploids. I destroyed the father of reploids."

"Zero.. isn't there a way for you to not be like this? Couldn't you please, please, just surrender-"

"Are you a fucking idiot? If- if we give up, then I will be truly lost, and I will lose the only thing I have had, the only thing I know. The only thing I've ever known. I- You will kill him. You will kill him. You will kill X. I can't let you kill X. I won't let you. I might have... I ruined X, I ruined him... but he will always belong to me."

Something dark spreads over him, not anger, not sadness, oddly calm, it's terrifying.

"..." Vava looks behind him, "Sigma! I'm so... sorry... You need to go, come back when you get repaired!"

Sigma didn't respond. He realized he already left.

Zero laughed, "You thought he would have stuck around?" 

He pushed away Sigma, and he had pushed Nana away, too. If he wins, would he be completely alone? He wondered. But he deserved to be alone... wouldn't he? For being how he is... 

"Hmph. I don't want to fight out here. Oh, I want to fight. With an audience!"

"Audie-"

He laughed, sweeping inside and throwing the doors wide open. 

"Zero! Zero! Zero please, we don't- you can hide! You and X could hide, you could be happy!"

There was just a hiss, and Vava chased him. 

The room was dark and warm. He glanced around, alarms blaring within his circuits. Warning, warning, warning, warning. Over, and over, and over, and over. "It's a shame, honestly... I think... "

He snaps his attention to his voice. Zero taps his chin, his eyes just as cold as before.

"Zero, please, listen to me. I know you're a maverick, but please, things can be different." Vava tried to reason, but Zero ignored him, speaking instead.

"For all the talk I do about, he doesn't like most reploids. He seems himself too clearly in their designs. He doesn't want to be with someone that looks like him. But you... You're different. He speaks about you too often. I think... He loves you in the same way he loves me."

He gasps audibly, flinching as though Zero had shot him. Heat rose on his cheeks, and he couldn't decipher if it was embarrassment or anger. He was trying to get his focus off of the task at hand... 

"Don't- don't try to distract me! We know... that's not true."

"It's despicable. You say we could live happily. We will never, we won't be happy until you are dead and the world is ours, for reploids." 

Clenching his teeth, he charges his cannon. He had enough talking. Everything Zero was saying threw gasoline on the fire in his chest, burning him alive with anger.

He flicked his wrist, saber at the ready. "Game on."

"Think again, Maverick..." A powerful shot crackled through the air, a glowing plasma shot rocketing for Zero.

Zero slices through it. "You've gotten better. That won't be enough, though!" He drives forward, slashing at him with razor speed.

Vava bends back, ducking beneath the blade as it sliced the air with white-hot heat, rolling away as something fell to Zero's feet with a dull thunk.

The blonde maverick was distracted for a moment, staring at the object with curiosity.

It's a small, spherical object. A red light begins blinking rapidly, before it combusts, shrapnel exploding from the center, sharp enough to pierce armor. A hatch on Vava's knee closes as he turns back to his opponent. And the explosion of a fiery blaze.

Zero looks at him, covered in fire and ash, his face blackened except for his eyes, his beautiful hair scraggly and ugly. It's like... He's facing a real demon...

"You will have to do better than that," he hisses. "But, not bad kid..." his voice crackles, his eyes nasty and hateful. He yells, slashing at his chest and kicking him away powerfully.

Unable to react in time, he skids across the floor, coughing and holding his chest. A large slash and dent had appeared on his chest piece, the edges of the open wound hissing and melting. He frantically tried to push himself off the floor, readying his cannon.

Zero screams again, aiming his sword and growling like an animal. 

Vava raises the cannon, first firing weaker shots, mostly aiming to disorient as he tried to formulate a plan to win.

Zero dodges, spinning and weaving out of the way, slowing his pace. Vava shifts. He's been saving this trump card. Planting his feet, a hatch opens on Vava's back. A barrage of missiles fire, and explode on contact.

Zero screams, skin scorched off his face, eyes going mad and spinning like he's gone insane, his teeth sharpen as he howls, diving for him and tugging at his arm, taking a large gash of circuitry, teeth grinding against metal as he tries to pry it off his body. 

Vava screams. It was the most painful moment in his life. He can't think- when he looks back at the moment, everything is just spinning. He remembers throwing a punch at him, doing everything he could to get away. 

"I won't let you- TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME, DAMMIT! YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM HE'S MINE, HE'S MINE, HE'S MINE!" The red ripper screams, diving for him again.

Without thinking, Vava took the shot.

"Ghhk- URK!" Oil dripped from his lips and abdomen. His hands shook as he stared at the injury.

A hole. Zero touched it, and Vava felt sick, wanting to throw up.

"How did you- you couldn't- No..." he stumbled to his knees.

His breath shaky, he steps away from Zero. He suddenly feels as though his processor was slowing down his perception, the edges of his vision flickering dark as he gasped for air. ... 

What have I done...?

"...Fuck... You won." he spits. "Vava... If you want to continue this path... You have to go all in. Don't half-ass it after killing me... "

"... Y-You... Z-Zero, I-"

"Be quick." he coughs, "Don't have a lot of time... to hear whatever you're..."

"..." Backing away from Zero, he feels sick. He unconsciously turns away from him, gripping his chest.

"...Please... Just... Don't... draw out... if you plan to kill him... don't... make it... painful...."

He trembled at his words. He meant X. He knows he has to kill X. Of course, he knows.

"I love him... more than... anything..."

"I love him more than anything, too, Zero... I'm sorry..."

"...It's... not... your fault..."

He collapses to the floor, eyes dark, body strewn across the floor in his fluids, his blond hair now blackened, his mouth slightly parted, still exposing sharpened teeth.

The devil was brought to a place that was neither heaven nor hell, the fallen angel ceased to exist... But the snake, the one who hissed delightful words, and desired those to bite into his apple of sin, was still on the loose, and in the next few rooms...

"Vava..."

He looked at him, and he stared back, tears down his face.

"...I'm sorry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> final chapter coming up! Yahoo! I'm excited tbh. Been a long time coming. Hopeto see you all then!


	7. X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forever

His breath caught, cursing the lighting as though it were intentional. He felt as though his heart was torn out, ripped apart by the claws of betrayal. "X..." He breathed, staring up at the Father of all reploids through his broken visor.

"...Zero... He's... He's gone, isn't he...?"

"... Y-yes... He is..." He responds, trying his hardest to keep his voice from breaking. "I'm sorry. I tried."

"I know..." X said softly, breaking in front of him. "I heard the whole thing."

"X..."

He spread his arms, tears trickling down his face.

He hesitates, his hands shaking as he steps back. "I... what makes you think, that after all of this, that I would-"

X embraces him. The father of all reploids. The fallen angel. The maverick. The S-class hunter. Zero's lover. The commander of the 17th unit. 

His friend. His crush. 

He can't stop crying. He sobs like a baby. X can do whatever he wants to him now, he can't fight. He can't do anything but cry. 

His hands lovingly remove his helmet. He gazes into his striking violet eyes, his short, curly hair, and his dark beautiful skin. He gazes at him with something dark, and poisonous that he shudders to even think about. 

"Oh, Vava..." One moment he's standing up.. the next his head is in X's lap, kissing his wet tears away. fingers gently running over his curls and undoing a few, for them to spring back. His gentleness makes him want to cry. 

“There it's okay. You don't have to fight anymore... I promise. Everything is alright now..."

"... N-No more fighting...? I-It's over?" He asks breathless, eyes wide and shining a bit with tears. He clenches his fists against his chest, feeling his core beat harder and his face warms up, turning slightly red. "Is everything really okay?"

"Yes..." his eyes transfixed over him. "You fought well but it is no longer needed. You can rest now. It's okay."

"No..." he shook his head. "It's not okay X. I fought so hard. I did everything right. I destroyed the mavericks. I pushed Nana and Sigma away. I had..." his face twisted, more tears spilling. "I had to destroy you. This whole time... and... I knew I couldn't do it. This whole time, fuck-" he gasped for air. X stroked his chest as he struggled to circulate. 

"Breathe Vava, breathe. In and out..."

He inhales and exhales. Inhales, and exhales. Soon he's calm, even though with every word X speaks, threatens more tears. 

"Are you okay now?"

Vava shook his head. "This whole time. You never left my mind. Every song, every dream. Everyone doubted me. They all knew. Sigma, Nana, Zero... they all knew I never- I never once stopped loving you. "

X's expression was so pained he looked away. 

"I-it's so hard... So hard to do what's right. That's all I wanted. To do what's right. Why, why did you do this? Why did you become a maverick? Was it a lie this whole time? Were you only nice so you could use me? You know I'm 0athetic, that I can't aim-"

"No." He shushed him. "I never did. I always thought you were the brightest, the most gorgeous hunter in headquarters In another life, we could have."

"Don't say that. We only had this life X. This is the only one we have. I will never be able to hold your hand and kiss you- I will never be able to stargaze with you again! You ruined that X!" He sat up, and sobbed again, wetting X's shoulder, when he embraced him with wonderful warmth. Like the sun. 

"I'm sorry. I know that doesn't change anything- but I'm sorry... i... I thought what I was doing was right. I don't know when, but I stepped back and realized..." he gazed down at his hand. "I realize now, I've ruined the world. I've ruined everything. I destroyed the lives of so many hunters, the humans I wanted to protect-" he covered his mouth, stopping himself from saying anything else. 

Vava watched as the tears rolled down. "X..."

"..." He wraps his arms around X, burying his face into his chest. "..."

X's face turns red, and he holds him, as though if he let go he would die. 

"I'm so sorry Vava... I put you through this, and harmed all of those reploids, gone at my hands alone..."

"Please... It was my fault. I still killed all those Reploids, living under the title Mav-"

"No, you killed them because they were going to kill you. Please... Finish this. So I can no longer threaten anyway. Please, Vava, end me."

The world stops for a moment. End... him? "... I-I can't... I can't!" he quickly yells. "You can redeem yourself. There's still a chance," Vava plead.

"They will put me on trial, and execute me, Vava. You know this, don't you? Maverickism lives in me, as long as it does. I will be doomed to repeat my mistakes."

"It doesn't have to be this way! Please, X!"

"It's alright Vava. You know what happens next. You do as you wanted and end my life. You will be a hero to everyone."

"But-"

"It wasn't your fault this happened." He continued. 

"X-"

"Please promise me, when I go away, you will still be the same, wonderful, beautiful Vava... So innocent, with so much faith in the world."

"I can't be that way without you!"

"I'm sorry. I know this is unfair, I put so much on you. I wanted to see you become stronger. Than me. I know you can become stronger than Zero. you did. You defeated him, and it's like you said. You came here, so I can pay the price... of my actions..."

"X-"

"...I wish it never had to be this way... Vava. I love him with all my being... And I could never live away from him..."

"I know you did. I never wanted this. I never wanted to hurt anyone, but I had to because it was right, for the peace of reploids and humans. But who am I fighting for now...?"

"I know. In- another life... we could-"

"We only had this life. But I promise X..." a thought came to mind... We will meet again."

"meet again...? But we're reploids, we don't have souls."

"Maybe in another world, we already are living happily. It can't be this one, but I promise you, X. I swear on my life, on everything I have."

"You swear?"

"Yes! It won't end here... there has to be another chance for us! I don't care how, or when, we will meet again someday, me and you, and Zero, and live happily!"

"Hm." X sighs. "You promise, that means it really could happen. Zero my love-" his expression is dreamy. "We tried all we could."

"Finish it Vava."

He swallows. Sitting up, the gun barrel of his shoulder cannon buried itself snuggly into his chest. He is unable to look at the blue maverick. 

His fingers brush against his cheek. "Don't feel sad for me. Know that, I will always be watching for you, and I will always believe in you. You are destined for amazing things... Don't you forget that? You defeated Zero..."

"... Thank you, X... You've inspired and encouraged me so much. I can never thank you enough..."

"And you Vava, I thank you for your mercy."

He looks up, smiling painfully as his cannon charges. "Goodbye, X..."

"Goodbye Vava... Please don't forget how you deserve to be loved and to feel special."

he smiles sweetly as can be, his eyes teary, and silently rolling with tears

"He cries harder, his hands shaking. His cannon fires, the sound echoing through the silent fortress.

The world around them shatters. But X is so calm. "Thank you..."

When his body hits the ground his bright green eyes slowly dim, the fans in his body stop whirring. his power gem no longer glows and he doesn't move.

"..." Vava kneels by the lifeless body of X, cradling him in his arms. What he did was right. X told him it was, and he had already decided it was so. It still hurt, but he knew... That the world will be at peace...

There was no explosion behind him as he walked with his body in his arms, and when he arrived at hunter base, he was crowned as a hero and immediately promoted to A-rank. With cheers, and large applause he felt tired and miserable. His shoulder still hurt. 

He didn't feel like an A-Rank, though. He didn't really care about his rank, in fact. He already knew that it didn't really change you. He was still Vava. The mopey hunter who couldn't aim, the one that cared too much about mavericks, and felt bad for their deaths. The one who cried after they passed away. The one who killed X. 

_Who's heart broke for him, because he loved him._

Sigma patted his shoulder. "You did well, Vava. You should be proud. Now there will be peace..."

Vava looks up at his Commander, blinking. It didn't feel the same, considering his commander left him behind. "Thank you."

"...You brought X back with you, I suppose you would want to know what will be done with him?"

"Very much so, Sir." he listened, how would they treat his X. 

"There will be people who want his body and the secrets his systems possess. We'll put him in a stasis chamber, and when we find Zeros parts, we will do the same. We don't want anyone using those parts for their own malicious desires..."

"... I see. I think that's... That's the right thing to do." He looks down at X's body once more. His eyes... would never again glow red. 

"It would be a shame to throw him out into scrap. Even if it wasn't dangerous. " Sigma touched the body slightly, his hand rolled slightly and he flinched as though it struck him. "The best damn hunter we've ever had."

"He was a friend, too, Commander Sigma. I can never forget the kindness he showed me. Through my entire battle of being a hunter. He was always there. I've lost a lifetime friend. But that's nothing, compared to the lives that-"

"And now we will rebuild. Stronger than ever. So this can never happen again. With you to guide us." Sigma places a hand on his shoulder.

He stuttered a little and calmed. He smiled slightly. 

"I will do all I can sir!" 

"That's... What they think..."

Something hisses, watching them as they celebrate.

"But X... Even if I have to force you... You will fill your duty..."

Laughter rings through the night, gripping the blonde hair that didn't belong to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn it's finally over. Well, all I can say is, Vava may return one day...   
> By that I write a sequel. Vava and his hunter partner Lumine. But, that won't be anytime soon lol.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Secret Santa](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28353186) by [StarryOfThy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryOfThy/pseuds/StarryOfThy)




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